Condenser attachment



March 12, 1940. .I w B TOWELL 2,193,499

CONDENSER ATTACHMENT Filed Aug. 6, 1937 l'l-lllllllll! n BY, .29 ,27 27 526 2 50 4] 2f@ ATTRNEY condenser whereby such light particles will be Patented Mar. 12, 19401 PATE-Tf ooNDENsER ATTACHMENT William B. Towell, AI-ort Arthur, Tex.

Application August 6, 1937,` Serial No. 157,703

' 1 Claim.

culating bottom is passed and utilized as a cooling agent for the condenser, and particularly to an attachment to condensers of 4this kind for providing a temporary repair in the event of a leak in one or more condenser tubes to stop such leak until such time as the required repair can be made thereon;` and the object of the invention is to provide an attachment in the form of a hopper-shaped container in which sawdust, ground cork, or other similarlight particles may be placed, means for discharging such particles from the hopper into the circulating system of the picked up or drawn into a hole, crack, or crevice,

of one or more tubes of thefcondenser by they vacuum prevailing therein, and to form what may be termed calking, plugging, or sealing elements to close such holes, crevices or cracks to form a temporary seal in the condenser preventing further leakage of the salt waterinto the condenser and eliminating the damage caused by the admission of water into the condensed feed water of a boiler as will be apparent; a further object being to utilize the circulating water coming under pressure from the sanitary line or other source of supply as a means for injecting under pressure the particles into the water circulated through the condenser;v a further object' being to provide an attachment having at the lower end of the hopper thereof `a nozzle vvdischarge for said water with means for lay-passing part of the water to the upper end of the hopper to encourage the discharge of, the particles therel from, and to the provision of valves controlling .the supply of water to saidattachment and the discharge of the water and. particles therefrom, and with these and other objects in view, the invention consists in a device ofthe class-and for the purpose specified, which is simple in construcof my improvement are designated by suitable` reference characters in each of the views, and in y tion, efcient in use, and which is constructed as which:

Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic sectional view through a condenser showing one of my improved attachments coupled therewith, and

Fig. 2 is a View simiiarto Fig. 1 showing ons?` tinually accumulate in the feed water. of these procedures is expensive .because oftime .shown in Fig. 1 ofthe drawing a condenser 5 This invention relates to condensers and particularly apparatus of this kind used upon ships or vessels, through which salt-water from a ciry the attachment on an enlarged scale and with parts of the construction in section.

It is necessary in ocean-going steamships to collect all spent steam, condense ythe same and use the condensate as the chief supply of 'boiler 5 feed water.v Thecooling water for ,the condensers employed is taken from thesea" and returned thereto after being used. In the past, leaks in the internal Walls of the condensers allowing sea water -to enter the feed water have necessitated 10 either stopping the vessel'to repair the leaks, or running to port allowing the saltwater tol con- .Either lost and damage done to the equipment. It is the purpose of my invention to eliminate this .lexpense by eeoting a temporary stoppage of leaks developing at sea. ,y

To illustrate one use of myl invention, I have 2 ber I3 enclosed between the lcasing 6, the spaced plates H and the tubes I2 and l2a, is under a high vacuum when the condenser is operating. End plate 'l is divided by baiile-plate Minto upper chamber I5 and lower chamber I6; and end plate l 8 forms a continuous chamber il.. Thecirculating kcooling Water of the condenser enters" l chamber i6 through inlet I8, passes through tubes i2 -to chamber V and from therethrough tubes E2G. to chamber l5; and isy exhaustedk through Aoutlet I9. I

In'the lower portion ofA end plate l and near the inlet I8 is an opening 2li connecting with a pipe 2 i in which is mounted myy attachment 22.

In Fig. 2 of the drawing, Ihave shown my attachment as comprising a container 23, a hopper discharge Zt in the lower portion thereof inte-` grally joining at opening 25 a rcylindrical' crosshead 2S having coupling ends '2l and 28 and a cylindricalchamber 29. Inserted through end 28 of said crosshead is a pipe 30 having a nozzle 3l extending under the `opening 25. YA gland 32 is employed'to-pack or rseal the pipet inthe end 50 28. The outwardly extending end 33 of pipe 3i) is connected through a cross-connection .3d .to a `pressure water supply pipe 2 la having means for closing off the water supply as shown by gate valve 35. Also joining the cross-connection 34 is an 55 upwardly extending pipe 36 coupled with the container 23 of the device at opening 31 in the upper portion thereof, said pipehaving union coupling 36a to facilitate assembling of the attachment. Extending downwardly from the cross connection 34 is a drain pipe M having means as shown by valve 42 for closing orf said pipe as seen in Fig. 1 of the drawing.

End 2 of the cylindrical crosshead 26 joins the condenser end 'I at opening 20 through pipe 2i having means as Shown by gate valve 38 for closing 01T said pipe. The upper end of the container 23 of the device has a removable cover 39 with means as shown by the threaded section 40 for obtaining a tight seal.

The purpose of my device is to provide for the temporary sealing of small leaks in the tube or plate surfaces which allow circulating water to enter chamber i3. In reaching this end, I put a charge of light granular inert material such as sawdust in the container 23 and securely close the cover 39. Valve 38 is then opened to the circulating Water of the condenser and valve 35 to a source of water under pressure such as the sanitary line of the vessel. This water under pressure enters cross-connection 34 and is divided into two streams,one passing through pipe 36 into the upper section of container 23 and carrying the granular material downward therein. The other stream passes through pipe 3E and nozzle Si becoming a high velocity jet in chamber 29. This high velocity jet operates as an injector picking up the granular particles at opening 25 and carrying them through pipe 'il into chamber i6, there to thoroughly mix with the circulating Water. The particles are then carried through the tubes by the circulating Water contacting the internal surfaces of the tubes and the surfaces of the plates. Vhen the particles pass over the area of the leak,` some of them are drawn into the hole or crack of the leak by the vacuum in chamber I3 outside the tubes, thereby plugging or calking the hole and stopping the leak. When the stoppage is effected the attachment is shut off by closing valves 35 and 33. If necessary, this procedure can be repeated at intervals until such time as.r permanent repairs can be made. When the attachment is shut olf by closing valves 35 and 38 the pressure in the attachment may be released or theattachment drained by opening the valve 42. l

Periodic tests of the boiler feed Water would indicate the presence of impurities caused by a leak in the condenser; and the great value of my device in practice is that it provides the imy mediate stoppage of such leak and eifects a temporary repair which will permit the vessel to proceed to port without loss of time. The checking of the leak prevents further pollution of the boiler feed water and the small amount of impurity that entered before the discovery of the leak can be neutralized by chemical treatment so that it will not cause appreciable damage to the boilers.`

It should be borne in mind that my invention is not limited to the specific details of the construction shown, which construction is merely a form that I have found successful in operation. The chamber ofthe device can be kept filled and ready to use at all times but the device remains inoperative as long as the valves are closed; and the granular material used is not necessarily limited to sawdust, but may be any other light granular inert material such as ground cork, grain, and the like.

It should be further borne in mind that my attachment is notlimited to use in connection with condensers or tothe injection of plugging particles into pressure equipment, but may have other applications Where it is necessary to discharge quantities of granular material by a pressure means from a storage chamber therefor.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

An emergency repair attachment for injecting particles of light. inert calking material into the circulating water of a condenser of the class described, said'attachment comprising a large casing having a discharge at one end opening into an elongated transverse tube at said end of the casing, the other, upper end of the casing being open, a detachable closure cap for the open end of the casing to form a closed chamber therein, a nozzle supported in said transverse tube with the discharge end of the nozzle adjacent the discharge of said casing, valve controlling the discharge from said tube into a condenser in connection with which the attachment is coupled, means for passing water, under sufficient pressure to enter the circulating water of the condenser, through said nozzle for feeding inert particles from the casing into the circulating water of the condenser to eiect a temporary repair of a leak which may prevail in the tubes of the condenser, a valve controlling said last named means,

'and means between said last mentioned valve and the nozzle for placing `the water under pressure in direct communication with the upper end of thercasing to aid in the discharge of inert particles from said casing.

lWILLIAM B. TOWELL. 

